8) Fruit colonies, such as the English Colony Association, were founded on the eastern edge of the valley between 1886 and 1895,
and were generally in lots of 10 to 20 acres with irrigation ditches dug to provide a reliable water supply. Fruit lands in most of Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano counties didn’t need irrigation because of the high water table. Irrigation made cultivation of orchards, rice, and alfalfa possible in areas not bordered by the rivers and streams. Why was fruit a good crop for the Sacramento Valley counties of Sacramento, Yolo, and Solano?
A) Because droughts kept killing the cattle and other livestock
B) Because the water table was high enough not to need irrigation
C) Because the people living in those counties did not want to raise cattle
D) Because the owners of large ranches had to subdivide and sell their land
B.Because the water table was high enough not to need irrigation.
Explanation:
Because the water table was high enough not to need irrigation is correct. Paragraph 8 tells about the development of fruit as a crop in the Valley, and clearly states that in these three counties, irrigation was not needed due to a high water table. Nothing was said about cattle in this paragraph, and although owners of large ranches having to sell their land was mentioned, it is in connection with the increase in land values and taxes, not the fruit crops.
